Donehogawa Utonagan

02/07/2025

I LIKE TO LICK YOU!
Dogs just love to lick - themselves, other animals and people. Have you ever wondered why, though?

Whether you love it and it makes you smile or you hate it and it makes you run for the soap and sanitiser, licking people is a very normal, natural behaviour for dogs.

Historically, dog licks were considered to be medically beneficial to humans. Dogs were used in Ancient Egypt to heal injuries and cure diseases.
Fisherman in Fiji allowed dogs to lick their wounds, believing this practice would speed up healing.

The French have a saying: “langue de chien, langue de médecin” which translates to “a dog’s tongue, a doctor’s tongue.”

Gentle licking of some types of wounds may help to remove dirt or debris that slows down healing as the tongue catches foreign matter, which then sticks to the saliva and is removed.

Although dog saliva has some antimicrobial properties, allowing dogs to lick either their own wounds or ours can lead to serious infection from the bacteria found in their mouths.

Whether or not to allow your dog to lick you (when you don’t have wounds!) is a completely personal choice. I personally don’t mind occasional licking as long as it’s not my face and it doesn’t become excessive.

24/06/2025

DON’T GET A DOG!
Unless you can make a commitment.

In an ideal world dogs would be included as a member of our family and we would share our time and life with them in the relatively short time they have with us.

In an ideal world, we would take the time to learn about how dogs communicate through body language, be aware that there are emotions beneath behaviours – we would meet their needs and keep learning about updated, modern, force free, pain free methods to understand or modify unwanted behaviour.

In reality, dogs are often seen as just another item of property, an object, a commodity to be bred and make money from, a cheap, replaceable security system, a garden decoration, a toy to play with when the kids are bored or an accessory that looks good while out walking, running or taking selfies.

Just like us, dogs are sentient beings with the capacity to feel a wide range of emotions. They are naturally social beings that need to spend time with their humans.

A life spent confined and isolated with little or no human companionship, with nothing to do, is not a life.
Dogs need love, attention, mental stimulation and exercise. They need routine, consistency and predictable patterns. Dogs need us to meet their needs and they need to feel safe and secure in our world.

Having a dog requires commitment, understanding, patience and dedication.

It’s hard work, it’s sometimes messy, dirty and stinky, it’s often expensive and requires that we make changes to our lifestyle.

It’s a decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly and without making a long-term commitment, but the rewards of forming a secure bond with another sentient being can bring so much joy and enrichment to both our lives and theirs.

03/06/2025

JUST SHAKE IT OFF

A “shake off” is one of many types of body language and is one of the easiest ones to notice.

The shake off can provide us with important insight as to how our dogs are feeling.

Besides being a very effective way to get rid of dirt, bugs or water - dogs can remove up to 70% of water in one single shake off - the shake off is often seen just after something that a dog needs a mental reset from.

It’s a way to flush out adrenaline and could be compared to us taking a deep breath to reset our nervous system and calm ourselves down.

Dogs instinctively know they feel better when they just shake it all off!

It’s their way of saying “Phew, I’m glad that’s over, now I can put it behind me and move on”.

Shaking off is a positive way to calm down, reset and cope with stress – be that negative or positive stress.

It’s a healthy way of transitioning from one emotional state to another.

It’s important to be aware that shake offs may sometimes be caused by an underlying medical issue like an ear infection, allergies, itching or pain.

If you notice a shake off, look at what has just happened beforehand. This will provide a good clue as to what it is that your dog feels they need to reset from.

27/05/2025

Instead of obsessing over exact nutrient measurements for your dog, focus on providing a variety of high-quality foods, vitamins, probiotics, and omega oils. The body is designed to take what it needs and discard the rest—just like in nature.

Let's talk about how to nourish your dog without overcomplicating it.

27/05/2025

HAVE YOU BEEN TOLD your dog's a**l glands have to be cleaned, or expressed, regularly? This practice can actually lead to more problems and is not ideal for their optimal function and health.

Learn what causes a**l gland issues, how to prevent issues, and what to do if your dog is already struggling:

https://peterdobias.com/blogs/blog/dog-a**l-glands-problems

27/05/2025

Dogs can eat most vegetables, with a few exceptions (🧅 🫑 🍆)

If you feed a raw or cooked diet, veggies should make up 15-30% of your dogs total diet, with half of that being from leafy greens 🥬

For dogs eating kibble, adding fresh veggies is still important! 🌟 I recommend feeding 15-20% with more leafy greens than starchy veggies as kibble already contains a high amount of sugary veggies.

27/05/2025

TEACH KIDS TO BE DOG FRIENDLY

I’m often asked - “How can I make my dog more child friendly?”

The question really should be - “How can I make my child more dog friendly?”

Children don’t come with an inborn ability to know how to interact with dogs. It’s up to us to teach them.

It’s surprising that there aren’t more dog bites considering how often children are seen treating dogs like stuffed toys.

If you think about it, dogs are actually amazingly tolerant and patient with us. They try their best to communicate with us, in the only way they know how, through using their body language.

A dogs attempt to show us they’re uncomfortable, scared, stressed or anxious is so often completely ignored or not understood.

As parents, I believe it should be a non-negotiable responsibility to teach our children about how to respect and behave around dogs to keep both of them safe.

Always supervise children and dogs, even if a dog seems relaxed and friendly.

Here are some links to free, on-line resources if you’re looking for more information on how to keep children and dogs safe together -

https://kidsarounddogs.co.uk/pages/free-resources

https://www.gooddoginabox.com/top-20-ways-keep-kids-and.../

https://www.familypaws.com/resources/

https://www.cooperandkids.com

https://poochparenting.net/blog/

27/05/2025

27/05/2025

Sometimes you just need a lazy weekend!

yes sometimes they get on the bed for a treat & a snuggle in - mainly for my benefit 😂!

Just sitting down with the diary for the week ahead also 🧡